


Take Me Home

by cyndaquillians



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-03
Updated: 2014-08-10
Packaged: 2018-01-07 08:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1117915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyndaquillians/pseuds/cyndaquillians
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo had gotten lost in a field somewhere between the Shire and the Blue Mountains. After he was found by Fili and Kili, he was given a choice to either return to his lonely life in the Shire or stay and live with the dwarves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Young Bilbo wondered in the field with huge tears running down his cheeks. It was extremely dark--the moon was exceptionally small that night and the stars hid behind the clouds--and he was beginning to panic. Earlier he was able to use the Blue Mountains as a guide, keeping them behind him on his way back to the Shire, but now he could not see that far ahead of him and could not remember if he had ever accidentally changed direction. He paced in the field for sometime wondering how he should spend the night. He knew that he should not try to find his way home until the sun rose since traveling alone at in the dark would only make matters worse, but Bilbo certainly was not looking forward to spending the night on the ground in an open field unprotected from poisonous spiders and wolves. Wargs. Bilbo shuddered. He was not sure if wargs lived in this part of the world, but he was not excited to find out if they did. He pushed away the thought of the giant wolves tearing apart everything that was in their paths, including him, and realized that he had nothing better to do than to wait for morning.

Bilbo continued to analyze the position that he was in. Curse those Tooks. He should have never allowed his cousins to convince him to leave the Shire. "We won't be going too far. Come with us!" They told him. "It'll be fun. Haven't you ever wondered what the entire world was like?" No one would be able to see the world in one afternoon. "You could at least see some of it," they pleaded, "don't be so boring!" Boring or not, the only part of the world that Bilbo could see right now consisted of the grass that was three yards in front of his nose. Everything else was just about black. His cousins left him in this damned field so this was all their faults. All Bilbo did was trip over a rock and when he got up, everyone was gone. They were no where to be seen and now they were probably back at Hobbiton while Bilbo shivered in a field waiting to die. It’s alright he thought, they’ll all forget about me. I’ll die out here but they won’t care. Why should I?

Bilbo tried to distract himself from the sweet escape of death by thinking about the elevenses that he would never have again. It did not work, but he eventually fell asleep, curled in the grass. He dreamed of sitting by the fire with his tea in Bag End. Dream Bilbo relaxed with a book in his pajamas in an armchair. As the night drew on, the fire grew larger but he did not notice. The moment he began to think of going to bed, there was a knock at the door and then the flames engulfed everything--all of Bag End, all of the Shire, all of existence. The flames licked his face until he awoke to the sun beating down on him. He looked around looking for anything other than the weeds but nothing was there. He even looked for the fire which was when he noticed the mountains to his left. For a moment he was distracted by the pretty trees but then he realized where he was. Mountains? Did he really walk the entire way to the feet of the Blue Mountains? Now he was sure that he would never return to the Shire. He was almost completely lost and he was running out of hope.

  
*

  
Two young dwarf princes stood along the edge of the forest. Thorin had allowed them to spend the day exploring the mountain even though he was still unsure if he could trust them when they promised not to cause too much trouble. The spent the morning traveling down the mountain, questioning if they would find any orcs and now they caught sight of the hobbit.  
“Look over there,” Fili pointed at Bilbo.

“Do you think it’s an orc.” Kili held up his bow, ready to shoot the creature if he needed to. (They had only ever heard Balin’s stories of the orcs and had no clue what one actually looked like.)

“No. I do not think that’s an orc. I always thought that they would be bigger. Much bigger. But don’t shoot the poor thing yet. You’ll make it angry. Come on.”

Bilbo froze as the two dwarves approached him. What would be the point in running away? He would still be alone and homesick. He did not feel that he had much more to lose.

“Good day, sir,” the blonde one smiled, “Fili and Kili at your service.” The two bowed together trying to be as formal and polite as possible.

“Bilbo Baggins, at yours,” he quickly returned the formality.

“Well Master Baggins, you are no orc, but I must say that you look lost.”

“Yes and I would like to be unlost as soon as possible. Now if you could just point me in the direction of Hobbiton, I will be on my way.” Bilbo was becoming impatient. He wanted to be home in time to see those god awful Tooks leave if these two dwarves would only help him.

“Hobbiton? Thorin would know where that is, wouldn’t he?” Fili asked his brother.

“He probably would. Just come with us, Master Baggins. We’ll get you home eventually!”

“That if very kind of you, but I think that I can manage on my own,” Bilbo stated, forgetting his troubles in his pride. He nodded and turned away.

“Wait!” Kili grabbed his arm. “But you just asked us for help and we can’t refuse a little guy like you.”

“Besides, you seem pretty lost. Where are you planning on going otherwise?”

Bilbo thought this over for a moment, disregarding the “little guy” part. He really had nothing left to lose at this point, except maybe his life, but would that really be so terrible? He did not know if he could ever find his way back to Bag End. He doubted that his cousins would try to look for him, and even if they did, the chances that they would find him were very slim. He knew that he needed help, but his pride got the best of him. “For your information..." He pulled away from Kili. “I can take care of myself, thank you.”

“I’m sure you can.” Kili pinched his cheek again. “Fili, isn’t he precious. Just look at how red his face is. Do you think he’s angry?”

“I am not angry and I am not a child!” Bilbo pushed Kili’s hand away from him.

“Well, listen. We can take you to Thorin and then get you home. Won’t you come with us, Master Baggins?” Fili pleaded.

Bilbo know that he would not be able to get away from the two dwarves. The only way that he could get home now, was to go where ever they were taking him. He had no clue if he could trust these dwarves, but he honestly did not care at this point. He just wanted to go home. “Yes, he sighed, “thank you so very much. Lead on if you would.”

“That’s wonderful!” Kili grabbed his arm and dragged him into the forest. “You’ll love Thorin! Most people do. I’m not sure why anyone wouldn’t.” Kili dragged on about his uncle until Fili interrupted.  
“So tell us about yourself, Master Baggins.” He smiled, “What’s Hobbiton like?”

“Well,” Bilbo nodded until the words came to him. “The Shire is a lovely field, very green, with big round trees and a pond. We all live underground in comfortable, warm holes. I had inherited Bag End from my parents. My father spent years building it, making sure that it was perfect, which it is. Very perfect and…” The words drifted off and Bilbo hung his head. The homesickness swelled inside of him again.  
“What happened to your parents?” Kili assumed that Bilbo was rather young to live alone.

“Wolves.” Bilbo was unable to say anymore. Fili and Kili walked alongside him in silence until Kili cleared his throat.

“Thorin used to live underground, too.” He smiled gently, trying to break the awful silence.

“What?” Fili asked softly. He had no clue where his brother was going with that.

“Thorin lived underground,” he paused and gestured towards Bilbo, “just like the hobbits.”

“Erebor was not just a hole in the ground,” Fili spoke firmly.

“Neither are hobbit holes,” Bilbo spoke up.

“But they’re basically the same thing,” Kili explained. “You go underground and there’s someone’s home.”

“Well,” Fili nodded, “not much longer then we’ll be home, Master Baggins. Then we can get you back to your...hole.” At this point, they were entering a valley. The trees gradually cleared, revealing a village. The sun peeked from behind a mountain which still provided enough light to make everything bright and colorful. “Thorin should be working right now. Best not to bother him, but he’ll be home soon. It’ll be dark in about an hour.”

“We’ll just take you to our place until then. Don’t worry about it. Thorin will know what to do,” Kili chimed in. They led Bilbo through the town, passing dwarves and a few humans scurried to and fro doing their daily business. They arrived at a small wooden house that looked far from dwarvish. Kili held the door open, “after you, Master Baggins.” He bowed politely.  
“Would you please stop calling me that. Try Bilbo, maybe.”

Kili muttered as he stepped inside and took off his cloak, “well, Bilbo, make yourself at home if you want. Just one more thing: from what you’ve told us of the Shire, it seems like a pretty lonely place. I can assure you that those other Bagginses will take care of you house. With that being said, you are very welcome to just live here, with us, for as long as you’d like. I’m sure that Thorin would not mind.”

“That is very kind of you but,” Bilbo started. Then he thought, why was he so anxious to go home? Wasn’t this all just the adventure that he had always wished for. It was unexpected, but fate had presented him with an opportunity. Leaving everything that he had ever known and living with complete strangers seemed very unlike him, but what did he really have to lose? “But,” he continued, “you will have to give me time to think about it.”

“Of course, take your time. We should probably wait for Thorin before we make any decisions.” Fili squeezed his brother’s shoulder as he spoke.


	2. Chapter 2

Thorin stumbled through the door after a long day's work. Dwalin, who usually assumed that he could stay for dinner with Fili and Kili, followed through the door close behind. Thorin wiped the sweat from his forehead and went to look for the boys. He found his nephews sitting on the floor, just as he expected, playing with the dog that they had to beg Thorin to keep. Dwalin had to remind him at the time, “You love dogs.” Fili and Kili had tried to bring other animals home, mostly cats and frogs, but they never stayed. This time, Thorin was shocked to see someone new, someone other than another pet.

“Uncle!” Fili and Kili both jumped up to greet him. Bilbo stood up as well.

“Who is the halfling?” Thorin skipped all of the usual greetings.

“This is Bilbo. He’s a hobbit,” Kili grinned, proud to be the one to introduce him.

“A hobbit? Well… Bilbo, do you live near here?” Thorin forced a friendly smile. They did not have visitors very often--almost never--unless you count Dwalin and Balin, but they were practically family.

“He might,” Fili mumbled, not wanting to reveal what they had in mind for Bilbo to their uncle yet.

“Let the damn halfling speak,” Dwalin corrected the young dwarf as he entered the room after Thorin. Bilbo was not able to speak though. His eyes widened at the sight of the giant dwarf and he had no clue how he should speak to him. He already felt intimidated by Thorin, who looked entirely majestic even when sweat was dripping down his forehead and his already dark hair was blackened with grease, but this other dwarf was too much. He was not even sure if this tattooed creature was a dwarf. He could very easily just be a bear, but Bilbo would keep these thoughts to himself. The last thing that he would ever want to do was to insult the dwarf.

Dwalin stared at Bilbo, waiting for an answer. Finally Bilbo found his nerve. “I’m… I,” he stuttered, “I’m from the Shire. Hobbiton, actually. Well Bag End to be exact.”

“Just Shire would have been a fine enough answer, laddie.” Dwalin grinned, which shocked Bilbo. He had thought that someone that large and imposing would be permanently angry.

“That’s quite a long way to travel, isn’t it?” Thorin asked, gesturing to Dwalin to sit down in the corner after noticing how uncomfortable Bilbo was with the giant standing over him.

“It was.” Bilbo attempted to make eye contact with his hosts, but that felt too awkward. “I had possibly gotten a bit lost. Well, a lot lost...”

“And that’s when we found him,” Kili cut in.

“So you brought him here?” Thorin glanced at the dog in Kili’s arms. It had begun to lick Bilbo’s face.

“Of course. We thought that you would know what to do.”

“We can’t just stop everything to escort a hobbit back to his hole.” Thorin folded his arms. He knew that Fili and Kili would do something like this someday. They were always just so trusting of others, always wanting to help, almost to a fault.

“That’s why we also thought that he could just..” Fili looked at the floor and allowed the last part to trail off.

“What’s that?” Dwalin asked.

“We thought that he could just stay here,” Kili gave Thorin those watery brown puppy eyes that he was always good at, “with us.”

Thorin sighed and looked at Bilbo. The dog stopped licking his face and wrestled it’s way out of Kili’s arms before it also stared at Thorin, waiting for an answer. “Don’t tell your mother,” was the only thing that he could think to say.


	3. Chapter 3

Two months passed and Bilbo quickly forgot about his previous live in the Shire. Everything was different now, especially his eating habits, but he did not miss any of it. He was not lonely any more. He had spent everyday with Fili and Kili, assisting them in their mischief and then going home to Thorin who was beginning to accept him as family. No one ever mentioned that Bilbo would, in the future, have to leave. He thought that it was strange that they would take in a complete stranger and treat him like their own, but it seemed likely that he might end up spending the rest of his life with the dwarves. If things stayed this way, he might  have a real family again.

Bilbo even began to feel more comfortable around Dwalin. He soon realized that the dwarf was much more gentle and considerate than he looked. Every morning and night when Dwalin come by, he greeted Bilbo with a smile. Bilbo thought that maybe even someday that smile might turn into a hug, even though that seemed extremely farfetched.

He spent the nights with Fili and Kili. They let him sleep on the top bunk while the two slept in the bed underneath. They did not mind sharing, but Bilbo did not dare go think of what they were doing below him. Whatever it was, it wasn't their first time. Surely Thorin would had said something to them about it by now, but Bilbo did not mind. He would feel extremely guilty for complaining when these people just allowed him to live with them. The two dwarves were usually by quiet about it, and its not like his cousins never played with each other in Bag End. This one time, they had all managed to pile into the bathroom while the adults were sitting in the living room just down the hallway and still not get caught. There was another time in the pantry, but that's a different story.

As Bilbo remembered his cousin's visits throughout the years, he began to wonder if they actually missed him. Would they still try to look for him? But that didn't matter, he thought. They left him. Things were different now. He had a new life, and to his surprise, he liked it. He no longer missed his life in the Shire where everything was just so settled down and boring. Now, he, Fili, and Kili did something different everyday, and he viewed all of it as the adventure the had always dreamed of.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted. "I'm sorry, Bilbo, we're being extremely rude," Kili called from underneath him. "Would you like to join us?" He and his brother laughed full-heartedly, but Bilbo's cheeks reddened and he felt flustered.

"No... no, that's alright." Bilbo pulled the sheets over his head in embarrassment and tried to fall asleep.

*

"So, did you sleep well last night?" Kili asked Bilbo as he swung out of a tree.

"Yeah," Bilbo snorted. He knelt down to roll up his pants again. They were Kili's old clothes which were also probably also Fili's old clothes. They did not fit him very well, but the only other clothes that they had were the ones that he was wearing the day that he got lost.

"Aww, did we keep the little virgin awake?" Kili laughed.

"Leave him alone. Not everyone can handle you."

"I am not a virgin and I can handle anyone that I wanted to."

"Oh, our hobbit's brave." Fili took the pipe from his mouth and blew another smoke ring.

"What's bravery got to do with it? Our hobbit's just confident." Kili began to poke Bilbo's side. "Now you've got to tell us, who did you have sex with?"

"If you must know, my cousins..."

"Aww, little hobbit dicks!" Fili smiled into his pipe.

"Well some of the older ones... it seems very unproportional," Bilbo explained.

"If you say so," Kili teased, beginning to giggle.

"They were! After my first time I could barely walk for a week."

"Could have been worse," Kill winced, remembering the pain.

"We didn't realize that we needed to use any lube during our first time," Fili said, "Kili was bleeding so much that we had to tell Thorin."

"You told Thorin!" Bilbo was shocked. "Wouldn't he be upset?"

"No, he just kind of laughed at us and then explained that we needed to use lube. He gave us stuff to use and everything."

" He also possibly," Kill muttered, "demonstrated on Fili."

"He fucked you?" Bilbo quickly covered his mouth after he realized how loudly he said that.

Fili's grin grew wider. "You sound jealous."

"I am not!" Bilbo shifted nervously and his cheeks turned red.

"You are." Fili smiled teasingly and pointed the end of his pipe towards the hobbit.

"It's alright. Don't hobbits age faster than dwarves?," Kili reasoned, "You'll be basically the same age as him eventually" He seemed strangely okay with the thought of his uncle having relations.

Fill nodded and began to laugh. "You totally have a crush on Thorin."


	4. Chapter 4

About an hour after the three came home, Thorin and Dwalin finished their work and joined them in the living room. Dwalin pointed at Fili, “It’s almost time for you to get a job, too. You’ll be in the mines with us.”

“Then what will Kili do?” Fili wondered.

"It's true. They're inseparable." Thorin shrugged causing Dwalin to roll his eyes. "They'll just have to wait until Kili's a little older."

"Do hobbits ever mine, Bilbo," Kili asked.

Bilbo shook his head as he found his place on the chair next to Fili. "No. No mining. We usually garden."

"What's a bunch of flowers good for, lad?" Dwalin frowned and was unimpressed.

"Well, there are vegetables, too, but the flowers are used for lots of things. They look pretty and smell good, but there are practical reasons. You can give them to someone to express friendship--or something more than that. There are even flowers that keep the flies away so that you can keep the windows open." Bilbo could have talked more, but he noticed how uninterested Dwalin really was.

Dwalin shrugged and looked at Thorin to say something. Thorin glanced at the dog on Kili's lap. They still never gave the mutt a name yet, he thought. Perhaps it was because they did not want to become too attached to the dog in case he ran off. He then thought of Bilbo.would he ever run off? He hoped not. Thorin realized that he should not compare him to a dog, but he would never want the hobbit to leave. For whatever reason, he seemed to belong here, like he was supposed to get lost on that fateful day. To Thorin's surprise, Bilbo filled places in both his home and his heart that he never knew were empty.

Dwalin tried to make up for his lack of interest. “I don’t know much about plants, but there is someone who would probably love to talk about that with you. His name’s Ori. You’ll probably meet him eventually, but he loves artsy stuff like that.” He grinned slightly then returned his gaze to Thorin.

“Oh. Of course. I’d love to meet him.” Bilbo was no longer listening. He was too distracted by Thorin. He usually could not help but to stare at the magnificent dwarf, but he never realized that it was a crush until Fili pointed it out earlier that day. Bilbo loved the way that the corners of Thorin’s eyes crinkled when he smiled at his nephews. His blue eyes were brightened by his dark eyebrows, and his hair always fell perfectly. Bilbo also loved to notice the beginnings of gray streaks that were forming in the dwarf’s hair. Everyone of Thorin’s features were intense and majestic. Fit for a king, Bilbo thought.

And then there was the way that Thorin doted over Fili and Kili. He would do anything for his nephews and Bilbo found the caring, fatherly side of Thorin to be extremely attractive. It frustrated him that Thorin might think of him as a child at the moment. He knew that he was too young to act on his feelings now, but in twenty years or so, then maybe. Bilbo would be almost fifty years old, but Thorin really would not have aged that much. This meant that he would have the next twenty years to prove to Thorin that he was an adult. That should not be too hard.

After another hour the conversations ended and Dwalin went home. Thorin fought back a yawn as he wished ‘good night’ to Fili, Kili, and Bilbo. They all went off to bed and Bilbo pulled the covers up to his cheeks. Warmth grew in his torso as he thought about what it would be like to possibly spend the night with Thorin, to snuggle into his chest and have a dwarf blanket wrapped around him all night. He opened his eyes and heard Kili offer again, “Do you think you’re ready to join us yet, Bilbo?”

“No. Not tonight,” he answered, yawning, before he drifted off into sweet bearded dreams.


	5. Chapter 5

Another month passed and Bilbo continued to dream about Thorin. The sun shined on his face through the window and Kili nudged him awake. “Bilbo,” he whispered. He began to poke his cheek. “Bilbo, it’s time for sparring practice. Bilbo…”

“We can get the water bucket,” Fili offered.

“No, I think he’s waking up. Bilbo…”

Bilbo wiped his eyes and sat up. He bumped his head on the ceiling just like usual. (He was not quite yet used to the bunk beds.) “Sparring practice?” He mumbled.

“Yep.” Kili pulled the sheet off the bed, hobbit and all, and caught Bilbo in his arms. “Sparring practice,” he repeated.

Bilbo struggled out of his hold. “Put me down, you oaf.”

“Well, we oafs will be outside waiting for you.” Fili walked out, assuming that Kili would follow him. Bilbo got dressed and ate something for breakfast before he met the two in the yard. They had started without him as usual, always impatient. “Bilbo!” Fili threw a small sword at him. Bilbo caught it, surprising himself. Thorin had insisted that Bilbo would start out his training by only hitting a tree with a pole, but Fili and Kili decided that it was time for him to graduate to a real weapon, or at least a hobbit sized dagger.

“Keep the sword up,” Kili constantly had to remind him, “Mind your feet.” Bilbo could not get the footwork correct and often tripped. While Fili and Kili were distracted by their duel, Bilbo fell again, but this time with the sword instead of the pole. He cut his arm from his elbow halfway to his wrist.

“Kili!” he called out. The two stopped immediately and ran over to Bilbo. He sat up and stared in shock at the blood gushing out of his arm.

“Don’t worry, Bilbo! We’ll take care of it.” Fili inspected the cut. “We should probably clean it.” Bilbo allowed himself to be picked up by Kili and was carried over to the well.

“This won’t hurt at all,” Kili assured him as his brother poured water over the wound.

“I don’t think that’s how you clean a cut,” Bilbo muttered trying to ignore the pain that was collecting in his arm. The only cuts that he ever had before were the small ones on his hand from cooking.

“Sure it is,” Fili stated, “we do this all the time.”

“Really?” It seemed improbable that the two dwarves to be as clumsy as Bilbo.

“Of course. We should wrap that up now.” Fili patted Bilbo’s head and returned the bucket back to the well. Bilbo leaned his face into Kili’s chest as he was carried into the house.

“You seem comfortable enough,” Kili commented. Bilbo could only grunt and Fili began to wrap his arm in a bandage.

“You should probably stay in here today, Bilbo,” Fili told him. “If you need us, we’ll just be outside.” Bilbo nodded as Kili placed him on the couch. The two dwarves waved and left. Bilbo cuddled into the dog who sat on his lap and began to wait patiently for them to come back.

“You were lost, too, weren’t you?” Bilbo asked the dog. “Then they found you and brought you here.” The dog looked up at him, so he continued, “Do you miss where you were before?” The dog wagged its tail. “Of course you don’t. You love it here,” Bilbo sighed, “they’re your family now.” He broke into a small smile when the dog licked his face. “They’re my family, too.” The two sat in silence for a few minutes until Bilbo said, “They never named you yet, did they?” The dog looked at him again. “Do you want a name? What should we name you?” He searched his mind for any words that sounded relatively dwarvish--not that he had any clue what was dwarvish. Nothing. He could not think of anything. Well, perhaps there was this one thing… “Hundr.” The dog cocked his head. “We can call you Hundr. Don’t you like it?” The dog licked his face again. “I’ll assume that’s a yes.”

Bilbo got up and found one of Thorin’s books that he was always meaning to read--something about the ancient dwarves, he assumed--and returned to the couch. Bilbo read it halfway through until Fili and Kili returned. Together, they waited for Thorin.

He returned home just as the sun began to set. Dwalin did not accompany him that night for whatever reason. “Brother issues,” he said, but Thorin was not sure what that meant. He entered the living room, finding his nephews and the hobbit just like any other night, but this time he realized right away that something was wrong. “What happened?” he demanded.

“Oh, nothing much. We named the dog. “Kili did not want to make his uncle worry too much.

Thorin smiled, relieved. “And what shall we call him?”

“Hundr. Bilbo came up with it,” Fili answered.

“What language is that?” Thorin did not seemed too impressed by the name.

Bilbo shyly squeaked, “I’m not quite sure. I think it means dog.”

“You named the dog… dog?” Thorin sighed, causing Bilbo to blush until the dwarf was almost laughing. “Fine enough. Hundr should make a very fitting name,” he assured Bilbo. Thorin then noticed the bandages wrapped around his arm. “What happened?” His thoughts were flushed with concern.

Fili answered before Bilbo had the chance to, “It’s just a little cut. We took care of it.” His brother nodded to confirm.

“A cut from what?”

“A dagger…” Bilbo answered slowly.

I told them not to give him a sword, Thorin immediately thought. At least not yet. Bilbo was still too inexperienced and clumsy. “Let me see it.”

“It’s fine, really. You do not need to,” Bilbo started.

“Let me see it.” Thorin knelt in front of the hobbit and took Bilbo’s hand. he slowly unwrapped the bandage, revealing the wound. “It’s not too deep. You should be alright.” Bilbo’s heart jumped as Thorin held his arm, almost even his hand, to get a closer look. Thorin’s hands were rough, but he still had a gentle touch. Bilbo loved to think of what it would be like to hold his hands, not because he was injured, but only because Thorin would let him. Or maybe he would put his hands somewhere else. The warmth grew inside of him, but he could not think about that now. It was not proper. He was currently too young for Thorin. Even though it had seemed like he had thrown out the idea of proper long ago, he was still a hobbit and needed some form of civilized manners. He did not mean to call the dwarves animals by thinking this, but they certainly were not hobbits. They just lived differently, but Bilbo lived differently too now. He was not sure if he still had to live up the the same norms of hobbit life, and if Thorin had fucked Fili before… no. It just was not right.

“You’ll be fine,” Thorin repeated. Bilbo’s face reddened as he stared into Thorin’s ocean blue eyes and Thorin squeezed his hands. He could not break his stare, but he could hear Fili and Kili giggling. “What would you be laughing at?” Thorin asked, completely oblivious to anything that the hobbit might have been feeling.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Fili answered.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is possible that Dwalin lost his touch in telling a believable story.

Bilbo thought about the day of his small accident very often after that. Now, the wound had healed, leaving a pink scar on Bilbo’s already pink skin. Comparing his cut to some of the injuries that Thorin had probably seen in his lifetime, it was merely no more serious than a stubbed toe, but Thorin was still genuinely worried about him. He had treated him as a child, which was obviously not helping Bilbo in his attempts to prove that he was an adult and justify his love for the dwarf. Oh, he caught himself, I’m calling it love now. At that moment, he did not have any opportunity to justify anything, so he returned his attention to Dwalin.

Dwalin took a seat in the armchair by the fireplace after he and Thorin came home. Kili had almost begged him to tell them a story about the old days of Erebor. After a few minutes of considering which story he would tell--there were far too many--Dwalin chose one that he thought would be fitting for the dreary mid autumn night. “Well, this one’s a bit of a ghost story, he started, “a bit stupid, but it’s a story.”

“I love this one,” Kili said.

“You’ve never heard it before,” his brother questioned him.

“You don’t know that.”

“Alright, now, listen,” Thorin corrected them.

Dwalin cleared his throat and began, “there were ghosts, you know, from all of the deaths from the wars years back. Some of them never bothered anyone, most didn’t, but there were others who were evil and wanted nothing more than to terrorize our people. I never believed in ghosts. I thought that these were only tales, but then the ghosts were awakened. Thorin and I…”

Thorin interrupted him, “No. do not drag me into this.”

“What? Why? You were there.” Thorin shook his head, but Dwalin continued, “Any way, Thorin was accompanying me on my way from the mines when we noticed that all of the doors we passed were opening and closing, but no one seemed to be behind the. ‘Maybe it was just the wind,’ I suggested, but we were inside a mountain. What wind would there be?”

“You’re making that up,” Kili challenged.

“I am not,” Dwalin smiled, “but it gets stranger. Thorin and I figured that we should just ignore it and keep going. If we didn’t understand it, there was nothing we could do about it. As soon as we got to the end of the corridor, the gate suddenly slammed shut and all of the lights went out. Now, I don’t want to say that your uncle here shrieked like a little daffodil, but…”

“I did not.”

“Well,” Dwalin shrugged, “so all of the lights had gone out, but a second later, they all came back on, revealing two large stone statues that neither of us had ever seen before. They were of two elfish men, both of which towered over us and just about reached the ceiling. the lights then began to flicker and each time there was light, the statues were in slightly different positions. When the wo held their swords above their head… it all stopped and they disappeared.”

“Okay, this is happening far too fast to be real,” Fili pointed out.

“It is real, lad. Now shush. Ghosts do not have any physical limitations on their speed. Now, we both blinked a few times in shock, wondering what in Durin’s name had just happened before we turned around to leave again. The gate was open again, but hanging above it was a dwarf, not a near friend of mine, but an acquaintance whose name i can’t remember, but that’s not the point. He was dead, stabbed through the heart. Blood dripped to the ground, until the dagger fell down, that is. The bloody blade clicked against the polished floor and then the blood began to gush out. The sword was of elvish make. You do know what that means lads?” The three sitting in front of him shook their heads. “Neither do I. I mean, the ghosts were dwarves, why would they have an elf sword? But, anyway, after the dagger fell, the blood began to gush out until it filled the corridor. It flooded the damned corridor, the surrounding chambers, and even most of the mountain.

“Now imagine us dwarves floating around in a literal blood bath. Some almost even drowned. Whatever their motive might have been, the ghosts decided that they were satisfied with the misery that they caused, so they left. The blood was drained out of the mountain and flowed the entire way to the city below. Imagine trying to explain that to poor ol’ Girion.”

“Are you sure it was ghosts?” Kili asked. “With all the blood, it may have just been the women.”

“Do not joke,” Thorin corrected him as always.

“Who was Girion?” Bilbo asked, ignoring the lame attempt at humor.

“He was the ruler of Dale,” Thorin sneared, “It was one of the most prosperous cities of men, destroyed by a foul beast.” Smaug, Bilbo assumed. Fili and Kili had told him some of the stories of the Lonely Mountain, including part of the diaspora. It was strange of them to leave out Dale. “Never mention it to Thorin,” they had advised him, “he gets too emotional about it.” But Bilbo probably would try to talk about it him some day. It seemed like a possible, very adult conversation, though he would save that for much later.

At that point, Dwalin stood up and said, “Well, it looks like it’s time to go home.” After they said their goodbyes, he left and Kili and Fili began to pick apart the story.

“And that part about the flickering lights,” Kili commented, “it sounded more like a rave than a ghost story.”

“You’ve never been to a rave.”

“But that’s probably what it would be like.” Kili nodded and sat back.

Biblo wasn’t sure if he should believe the story or not, so he asked, “Thorin, how long did it take you to get the blood out of your hair?” Thorin could only stare at him. Bilbo quickly realized just how stupid he sounded and looked away. He knew now that the story was obviously fake, but he could not help but to show some form of concern for the dwarf.

Kili and Fili laughed at him, and just as Bilbo looked away in embarrassment, Thorin answered, “well, it was dried to my beard for a few weeks.” Thorin smiled gently and went into his room for the night. Bilbo had no clue why Thorin would ever answer such a naive question, but he felt slightly less stupid.


	7. Chapter 7

In the following cold months of winter, the dwarves and Bilbo spent their nights in front of the fire, with Hundr curled in the middle, listening to more of Dwalin’s tales. Then Bilbo would awaken from his dreams of the distant lands that he had heard so much about and continue to train alongside Fili and Kili. The two taught him well and he was slowly improving but it would never be enough for him. At this rate, he still felt that he would never be able to prove himself to Thorin or be self-sufficient. He trained with the two dwarves every morning, but they were soon interrupted by the arrival of a new neighbor, soaked in the melting snow of early spring.

“Did someone just go inside that house?” Kili paused and rested the tip of his sword on the ground.

“Which house?” Bilbo puffed, already out of breath.

“Nah, no one’s been in that house for years.” Fili pointed to show Bilbo what they were talking about.

“No really. I think I just saw somebody go inside.”

Bilbo threw his dagger down and leaned against the tree. “If it bothers you that much, why don’t you go and knock on the door.”

The two brothers looked at each other then back at Bilbo. “Alright, you do it.” Before Bilbo could squeak in objection, he was pushed across the street directly to the front door. “Don’t worry we’ll be right over there.” Fili pointed at a tree before Kili quickly rapped on the door and ran away.

Don’t panic, Bilbo thought, but he could already hear footsteps. He swallowed hard and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He rushed to tuck in and smooth his shirt before the wooden door slowly opened. Immediately, an orange tabby cat ran out and circled the hobbit’s feet. Looking up, a pair of turquois eyes under brown hair returned his stare. “Sorry, that’s Felix,” he heard a distant voice say, “and you are?” Bilbo could only blink while waiting for his fear to ease. The foggy figure in front of him continued to speak in the meantime. “Well I’m Drosera. It’s lovely to meet you. Do you live around here?”

Finally the fog in Bilbo’s mind cleared as the figure reached for his hand to shake it. “Yes, well,” he said, “Bilbo Baggins, at your service.”

“Drosera Bramblett, at yours.”

“You’re a-- “

“A hobbit? Apparently so are you.”

“Are you from the Shire?” This was the first time in a while that Bilbo thought about his home.

Drosera shrugged. “Here and there, really. Oh, who are your friends?”

The two dwarves ventured out of their hiding place when they saw that their new neighbor was nothing to be afraid of. “Fili and Kili, at your service.” They bowed at the door step.

“Are you living here by yourself?” Bilbo asked.

“I am now. I just moved in, you see, but it’s just me and Felix. I never thought that I would ever be able to find a vacant building in a place like this. Rare, isn’t it.”

“No one’s lived here for quite a while,” Fili said, “Kili and I have lived across the street all our lives and have never seen anyone live here.”

“Well, I would offer you all to come inside for some tea, but honestly I don’t have any. Could one of you tell me where I could pick some up?”

“Just go down the street that way,” Fili pointed, “and make a right. Go down that street, and you’ll find the market.”

“Thank you, boys.” Drosera stepped forward and closed the door behind her. “It was nice to meet you all.” She smiled at them and made her way down the street with Felix following on her heels. They watched her leave before going back to their own yard.

“She was nice,” Kili commented.

“She lives by herself, travels too.” Bilbo seemed almost dazed by this fact. Why couldn’t he do that? Technically he did live by himself in the Shire but it wasn’t the same.

“But do you think we should tell her about her house?”

Kili shook his head. “None of that’s probably real.”

Bilbo returned to his spot against the tree. “What’s wrong with her house?”

“They’re just rumors.” Kili reassured him.

“But they might not be,” Fili went on. “You see Bilbo, that house was empty because whoever moved into it disappeared and was never seen again. It happened multiple times. I swear the place is haunted.”

“Did any of them survive?” Bilbo asked.

“No, they’re all gone.”

The hobbit sighed nervously and shifted his weight to his other foot. He then picked up his dagger and fumbled with it. “We probably should warn her.”

“She’s not going to believe us. It happens every time.”

“What exactly happens in that house?”

“I’m not sure. I think Thorin knows but he won’t tell us. Perhaps he thinks that it’s too scary for us.” Fili looked over at the house again.

“Or it could be nothing.” Kili shrugged and went inside to trade his sword for his bow. All they could do now was wait for Thorin to return.

 


	8. Chapter 8

When Thorin came home that evening, they began to question him immediately. “Someone moved into the house across the street. Why has it always been empty before?” Kili asked as he ushered his uncle into the living room which still looked gray despite the glow of the lamp.

“No one wants to live there,” he stated simply before he sat down in his armchair.

“But why?”

“Rats,” he shrugged.

“There are rats everywhere.”

Thorin blinked and leaned back. “There’s just something undesirable about the house that forces people to move out of it.”

Fili sat up in his chair. “But why so suddenly? And then why are they never seen again? The house is haunted, isn’t it?”

Thorin grinned slightly at his nephew. “It is not haunted. People move out and then leave town to look for another place to live. They would not be able to stay at the inn forever or find another place that’s here. They had to move on.”

“So you don’t think that there are ghosts there?” Bilbo asked.

Thorin shook his head. “There are no ghosts. You have nothing to worry about. But,” Thorin paused to lean forward, “there is something that we need to discuss.” He looked around to make sure that he had everybody’s attention. Even Hundr was staring at him intently, so he continued. “I met someone today: a wizard by the name of Gandalf. He seemed convinced that now is the time to return to Erebor. He advised me to gather a company and to set off as soon as possible. He will be accompanying us on our journey.”

The room froze for a few moments until Fili slowly looked up and said, “You have your first three members right in front of you.”

Thorin’s gentle grin returned as he nodded. “I have a few others in mind as well. Dwalin has already started to track them down.”

“What will we do with Hundr?” Bilbo asked quietly.

“I was hoping,” Thorin paused in order to decide the best way to put into words what he was going to say next, “that you would take him with you,” he hesitated again, “when we take you back to the shire.” Before Bilbo could speak Thorin continued, “He has grown quite fond of you, and I think that it would be for the best.”

Kili stood up in protest. “Uncle, surely you don’t mean that.”

“I mean every word I say, now sit.”

Bilbo stopped listening as Fili and Kili tried to convince their uncle that they needed to take him along. Tears began to swell in his eyes as he thought about leaving the closest thing to family that he’s had in years. Fili and Kili tried to convince their uncle that they needed to take him along. Tears began to swell in his eyes as he thought about leaving the closest thing to a family that he’s had in years. Fili and Kili were beginning to seem like brothers to him, and after every day he seemed to love Thorin more. He couldn’t go back to the shire. It was no longer his home.

“He belongs with us,” he heard Fili say.

“He needs to go home,” Thorin argued.

Bilbo looked at the faint scar on his hand. He thought about how Thorin had cared for the wound so tenderly. He then stood up. “I would be honored if you would take me along with you. I promise that I would do everything that I am capable of to help you on your quest, but if you will not have me, I cannot go back to the Shire. It is no longer my home.” As a small tear rolled down his face, he pushed past Fili and Kili and went to their bedroom for the night. From his bed, he could still hear the three dwarves in the living room.

“He might be a valuable fighter to take with us. He has improved a lot.”

“We just can’t risk it. He isn’t meant for this kind of life.”

“We’ll be there to protect him.”

“You two need to look out for yourselves. You’re enough for me to worry about. I might leave you behind too.” Thorin’s voice seemed grimmer than ever. “Your mother would kill me for bringing the two of you on such a perilous journey.”

“You couldn’t do that.”

“Of course not. You would try to go by yourselves and get into even more trouble.”

“What would keep Bilbo from doing the same thing? You heard him. He wants nothing more than to go with us. At least if we took him along in the first place you can protect him yourself.”

Bilbo clung tighter to his bed sheets waiting for Thorin to respond.

Kili spoke again, “What exactly did that wizard say to you about gathering a company?”

Thorin sighed. “He said to find as many willing able-bodied dwarves as we could. Mostly those who are good fighters, but he also said that we would need a burglar. It seems like a reasonable request.”

“Why do we need a burglar?” Fili furrowed his eyebrows in thought.

“I’m not sure.”

Fili looked up again. “Then we need Bilbo. He can be our burglar. He would be perfect. He can sneak up on almost anybody.”

Thorin had enough of this for one night. “We’ll talk about this in the morning.” They said their good nights and then went to their rooms. Bilbo could hear the door open and close gently.

“Don’t worry, Bilbo,” Fili whispered as the two climbed into the top bunk. “He’ll lighten up.”

 

 *

 

The next morning Thorin left to meet Dwalin and Balin before any of the three had awoken. He closed the front door and pulled his cloak tighter around him when he felt the bite of the cold morning air. The birds were all quiet and everything was still cloaked in shadows for the sun had not yet risen above the mountains. Looking across the street, he saw a light in the new neighbor’s window. Figuring that he had some time to spare, he knocked on the door. After a few minutes, no one answered. The entire house seemed to be quiet and frozen, so he shrugged slightly and walked away. “Gone Already?” He muttered to himself. “Usually people last at least a few days.” Looking back at the window he said, “She forgot to put out the lamp, in a hurry, no doubt.”


	9. Chapter 9

Thorin quickly made his way down the street. Very few people were out, but he wanted to beat the crowd and avoid the usual morning chaos. He had made plans with Balin and Dwalin to discuss the possibilities that they had in gathering a company. The tavern proved to be a convenient meeting place for them. It was open all day and all night, and at this hour in the morning, they had a chance at having a somewhat private conversation.

Thorin pulled open the ruddy tavern door and was immediately hit by the warm stench of beer. Just as he had expected, the room was close to empty. Other than him and his companions whom he could see had already arrived, there were only three people. Two of which were nothing more than the local drunks who had passed out from a night of alcohol. They were both slumped over tables while the third, the bar keep, cleaned the mess that was left from the other drunks who were able to stumble their ways home.

He took a seat beside Dwalin, who had taken the liberty of ordering ale for him, and surveyed the table. He sat up more as seven pairs of eyes stared at him. “Thank you for coming,” he coughed as he quickly did a head count. Dwalin, Balin, Oin, Gloin. Haven’t seen them in years, he thought. Nori, Dori, Ori. Ori, for Durin’s sake that boy has grown. The table was a fat rectangle with Gloin, Oin, and Nori sitting across from him, Dwalin, and Balin. Ori and Dori sat at one of the adjacent ends, leaving the fourth side empty.

“How many more dwarves do you think we will need?” Dwalin asked him.

“As many as we could possibly get to join us. This couldn’t nearly be enough.”

Balin spoke up, “Will you bring Fili and Kili along?”

“Of course. I could never deprive them of a journey back to Erebor.”

“What about Bilbo?” Ori’s eyes lit up. “Dwalin told us so much about him on our way here. I just can’t wait to meet him.”

“Now you hush,” Dori silenced his brother. Thorin’s eyes fluttered down to the table. Dwalin answered his prayers and began to speak to change the subject. Thorin did not want to think about the hobbit right now.

Dwalin breathed heavily, “Do you think that the dwarves of the Iron Hills would aid us?”

Thorin shook his head. “If they did not help us years ago, why would they help us now?”

“We should at least try.”

Thorin looked up again, “Why waste time? Gandalf said that it was crucial to our success that we leave immediately.”

“What makes you so sure that we can trust this wizard?” Gloin pounded on the table as he spoke.

“What other choice do we have?” Thorin asked,” We surely would not be able to make this journey on our own. He offered to us his guidance and protection and we shall accept it.”

“What’s in it for him? He probably has some kind of plot to have us all killed!”

“Now that’s just nonsense!” Balin spoke up again. Thorin nodded gently. He agreed with Balin. Although he knew to never let his guard down, the wizard seemed to be trust worthy enough. Balin continued, “And are we forgetting the fact that there is still a live dragon inside of that mountain. We may all die anyway!”

“Gandalf could kill the dragon for us!” Ori beamed with excitement as he remembered the many fairy tales of wizards slaying dragons that he was raised on reading.

That seems reasonable enough, Thorin thought. He sighed and looked up, “We shall deal with Smaug when the time comes. Let’s just try to get to the Lonely Mountain for now.”

Balin stood up, taking the authority in ending the meeting. “And the first step to that is establishing a company. I would suggest that we all meet somewhere tonight, preferably Thorin’s house, and draft up some contracts.”

Thorin took a final sip of his ale before he also stood up. “If it is alright with all of you, we could meet just before dusk.” He waited until all of the dwarves nodded in agreement before saying good bye. He left the tavern, but before he could go home, he took a trip to the market. If he could remember correctly, on the far east side of the square he would find a stall run by a certain toymaker to whom he had to speak.

He made it to the market square just in time. The hubbub of the morning crowd going to work had already gone, allowing him to find the stall quickly. The toymaker was busy with a customer, which gave Thorin a chance to examine the toys. They were all wooden figurines, hand painted in exact detail. The dogs and horses looked as if they could be soft and furry, and the goblins looked as vulgar as a real one should. He picked up a toy sword to look at it closer. The designs carved into the hilt resembled something that one could find deep in a dragon’s horde. Looking up from the toy, he was greeted by the warm smile of the toymaker. “These are all quite beautiful,” Thorin said putting the sword back on the table.

“How are those nephews of yours?” The other dwarf asked with a jolly chuckle.

“They are… growing up.”

“Well that’s good to hear.” The toymaker’s deepened his grin causing his cheery brown eyes to crinkle in the corners.

Thorin nodded slightly. “Would you mind if I asked you something?” The other dwarf shook his head, so he continued. “What do you remember of Erebor?”

The toymaker’s grin immediately disappeared. After a few moments of studying Thorin, he fell to one knee in a deep bow. “I’m terribly sorry that I’ve never recognized you before, your majesty.”

“It’s alright. Please get up.” Thorin’s face reddened in embarrassment.

“Oh, there is too much to remember and it was such a long time ago. My family and I had taken many trips to Dale. Our toys were almost famous there. I would do anything to return.”

Thorin felt a satisfying jolt of relief wash over him. “You can.”

“Really?”

“I’ve been gathering dwarves to join me to take back the mountain and reclaim our homelands.”

“What about my brother and my cousin? Bifur is a reliable fighter and Bombur is a rather good cook when you’d think that there is nothing for him to possibly cook.”

“They can come too. The more that we can bring, the better off we’ll be. So will you join us?” Thorin furrowed his eyebrows awaiting the other dwarf’s answer.

“I would be honored.”

“Wonderful.” He pulled a slip of paper from his pocket. “Then meet us at this address, just before dusk.” The toymaker nodded. “By the way, what is your name? I’m not sure why I never asked before.”

The dwarf bent into a bow again except this time his hat fell off, revealing the greasy stray hair that was not twisted into either of his braids. “Bofur,” he said, “At your service.”

“Thorin Oakenshield, at yours.”


	10. Chapter 10

Bilbo paced the living room floor fretfully. He had told Fili and Kili that he wanted to spend the morning alone. He did not feel up for their games today. The respectfully accepted that and left him in the living room to think. Thorin did not come home yet, which made Bilbo nervous. Of course it gave him more time to think over what he was going to say to the dwarf, but with every slow second that went by, his anxiety grew tenfold. If Thorin already felt that it was a bad idea to take Bilbo along, as time passed, he would only become more sure of himself. He would take Bilbo back to the Shire and then say goodbye possibly forever.

What would be left for him in the Shire? Eventually he would become reaccustomed to his old ways of life, but that would not be enough for him now. What would even be left of Bag End?  Surely by now the ungracious ill-mannered Sackville-Bagginses would have learned that he was gone and tore the place apart. They most likely took everything. Even if they did not want it, they would have sold it to the highest bidder if they had the chance. There would be nothing left for him in the Shire. He would be alone, too. He would see his neighbors possibly several times a day, but it would never be the same as living with somebody who treats you like family even if you are not. If they went their separate ways, he may never see Thorin again.

That’s it, Bilbo thought as he finally felt calm enough to sit on the couch, I’m not going. He would tell Thorin that he will have to chain him to the front door if he expected Bilbo to stay in Bag End. At this point, the hobbit most likely does not even have a front door. He would be lucky if he had a cardboard box without a top left for a house.

Hundr heard his annoyed sighs, so he jumped on the couch next to Bilbo and curled up on the hobbit’s lap. “But where will you go if I don’t take you to Bag End?” Bilbo asked the dog. “You’re not much for adventures, are you?” Hundr licked Bilbo’s leg and then put his head down. “You big lazy mutt,” Bilbo sighed, “neither am I.” After a moment of sitting in silence he started again, “but that Drosera Bramblett is. She just got here, probably from somewhere far away, and now, she’s gone again!” Bilbo leaned back and looked longingly at the ceiling. “What do you think that’s like? Do you think we’ll ever see her again?” He then answered himself, “probably not. She’s gone now.” He sighed and pushed Hundr off of him. He stood up and brushed the dog fur off of his clothes. He heard the front door close but could still see Fili and Kili from the window. That meant Thorin was home.

He had been anticipating this moment all morning, but was still not ready for it to happen. Thorin must have felt the same way because when he looked up from hanging his cloak on the hook outside of the living room and his eyes met Bilbo’s, he seemed dumbstruck. They both stared at each other for a few moments until Thorin finally spoke. “Bilbo,” he said, “we have to talk this over.”

The hobbit opened his mouth to speak but the words still could not surface. He could only nod. Thorin continued, “I’ve been thinking…” He was not sure how to say any of this and make it sound gentle, so he gave up and went with something else. “Are you sure that you want to go with us?”

Bilbo nodded quickly. “Of course I do. I can’t go back to the Shire. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Before Bilbo could say anything else Thorin started, “you should come then.”

“Really?” the hobbit squeaked. That was not what he expected Thorin to say, but the dwarf nodded with a subtle grin. Bilbo was not sure how to react, so he blurted out, “I love you!” He immediately covered his mouth with his hands when he realized what he had just said.

“What?” Thorin seemed just as shocked. His smile disappeared and his face began to turn pink.

Bilbo tried to save himself. “I mean I would love to go with you.”

“Of course you do,” Thorin coughed, trying to hide the chuckle that was emerging from his throat. “I love you too.”

The hobbit could no longer contain his excitement. He ran over to the dwarf and wrapped his arms around him. Bilbo waited so long wondering if this moment would ever come, and it finally did. Thorin returned the gesture and he could feel the dwarf breathing on the top of his head. He sunk deeper into Thorin's chest, trying to make the hug last as long as possible, but to his disappointment, Thorin pulled away. Bilbo couldn't help but think: If he keeps looking at me like that, I just may faint.


End file.
